Book Launch: Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom by Greta Uehling

In this ground-breaking book, distinguished anthropologist Greta Uehling illuminates the untold stories of Russia’s occupation of Crimea from 2014 to the present, revealing the traumas of colonization, foreign occupation, and population displacement. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork in Ukraine, including over 90 personal interviews, Uehling brings her readers into the lives of people who opposed Russia’s Crimean operation, many of whom fled for government-controlled Ukraine. Via the narratives of people who traversed perilous geographies and world-altering events, Uehling traces the development of a new sense of social cohesion that encompasses diverse ethnic and religious groups. The result is a compelling story—one of resilience, transformation, and ultimately, the unwavering pursuit of freedom and autonomy for Ukraine, regardless of ethnicity or race. Decolonizing Ukraine: The Indigenous People of Crimea and Pathways to Freedom demonstrates how understanding Crimea is essential to understanding Ukraine – and the war with Russia – today.

Greta Uehling is a cultural anthropologist who specializes in the study of war, conflict, and population displacement. A Professor at the University of Michigan, she teaches seminars on human rights and humanitarianism for the Program in International and Comparative Studies. She is the author of Beyond Memory: The Deportation and Repatriation of the Crimean Tatars (2004) and Everyday War: The Conflict over Donbas, Ukraine (2023).

Moderator: Dr. Maria Sonevytsky,

Bard College